Photo Flash: Meet the Company of York Theatre Company's DON'T BOTHER ME, I CAN'T COPE
The York Theatre Company, dedicated to the development of new musicals and the preservation of musical gems from the past, celebrates musical revues with the season opener of the Winter 2016 Musicals in Mufti Series: DON'T BOTHER ME, I CAN'T COPE, a musical entertainment with by Micki Grant, conceived by Vinnette Carroll. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast and creative team below!
Directed by Leslie Dockery, and with musical direction by William Foster McDaniel, the eight-member cast will feature Jelani Alladin (Ragtime), Darilyn Castillo (It Ain't Nothin But the Blues), Doug Eskew (The Color Purple), Tina Fabrique (Ragtime), Marva Hicks (Motown, The Musical), Devin L. Roberts (The Lion King), Raun Ruffin (The Civil War) and Debra Walton (Storyville).
The limited engagement of DON'T BOTHER ME, I CAN'T COPE will play 10 performances only February 27 - March 6, 2016 at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (619 Lexington Avenue, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue). Opening Night performance on Sunday, February 28 at 7:00 p.m. will be followed by a "Can't Cope with the Oscars Party."
DON'T BOTHER ME, I CAN'T COPE, a musical entertainment with book, music, and lyrics by Micki Grant and conceived by Vinnette Carroll, will be directed by Leslie Dockery. With five 1972 Tony Award nominations (including Best Musical) and an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical the same year, the show also won Micki Grant a Grammy Award for best score -- the first female to be so honored. Ms. Grant was also one of the stars of the show, which came to Broadway after successful runs in Washington DC, Detroit, and Philadelphia. The show ran for over two years on Broadway. A dynamic mixture of gospel, jazz, funk, soul, calypso, and soft rock, the show illuminates the African-American experience with vibrant song and dance. DON'T BOTHER ME, I CAN'T COPE is the first Broadway musical written entirely by a woman and the first Broadway production to be directed by a female African-American.
Photos courtesy of The York Theatre Company.
The Company: Debra Walton, Darilyn Castillo, William Foster McDaniel (music director), Marva Hicks, Raun Ruffin, Leslie Dockery (director), Tina Fabrique, Jelani Alladin, Devin L. Roberts, Doug Eskew, and Julia Lema (director's assistant).
The Creative Team: Leslie Dockery (director), William Foster McDaniel (music director), and Julia Lema (director's assistant).
The Ladies of DON'T BOTHER ME, I CAN'T COPE: Debra Walton, Darilyn Castillo, Tina Fabrique, and Marva Hicks.
The Gents of DON'T BOTHER ME, I CAN'T COPE: Jelani Alladin, Raun Ruffin, Devin L. Roberts, and Doug Eskew.
The Company with (far left) James Morgan (York Producing Artistic director), Debra Walton, Darilyn Castillo, William Foster McDaniel (music director), Marva Hicks, Raun Ruffin, Leslie Dockery (director), Tina Fabrique, Jelani Alladin, Devin L. Roberts, Doug Eskew, and Julia Lema (director's assistant).
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